ASTRAL CAR CENTRE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
05174249 · ltd · incorporated 2004-07-08
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jul 2025
Net worth
£-7.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 45112
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (75/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
60 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £7,211

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
-£7k
↑ 37% YoY
Current Assets
£15k
↑ 13% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
-£11k-£6k-£876£4k£10k£15kJul 2024Jul 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-07-312024-07-31
Total assets£-7.2k£-7.9k
Current assets£15.0k£13.2k
Net assets£-7.2k£-11.5k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
  • • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-05-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2026-04-14
    📍
    default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officer
    address · RP09
  3. 2025-10-04
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  4. 2025-10-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2025-09-30
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  6. 2024-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-07-08
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  8. 2023-07-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-07-04
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  10. 2022-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-03-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-04-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-04-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-07-05
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  16. 2013-05-12
    ➖
    LANGDALE, Janine resigned
    secretary
  17. 2004-07-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ASTRAL CAR CENTRE LIMITED
  18. 2004-07-08
    ➕
    GROGAN, Dean appointed
    director
  19. 2004-07-08
    ➕
    LANGDALE, Janine appointed
    secretary
  20. 2004-07-08
    ➕
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  21. 2004-07-08
    ➖
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  22. 2004-07-08
    ➕
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  23. 2004-07-08
    ➖
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

85/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Dean Ross Grogan
Individual · British · DOB 11/1973 · age 53
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting01/07/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Automotive · RH postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
ACE SPEC ALLOYS LTD→
15494411 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————2y——
ALI’S MECHANICAL REPAIR CENTRE LIMITED→
16942496 · est 2026 · no financials extracted
———————
AM PM TYRES LTD→
15641070 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
————2y——
APEX QUAD PARTS LTD→
16868232 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
———————
ARMOR VISION (UK) LIMITED→
14358215 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
————3y——
ARMSTRONG BODYSHOP LIMITED→
05083757 · est 2004 · no financials extracted
————22y——
ARUN AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED→
12608414 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
————5y——
ARUN CLASSICS LTD→
08389102 · est 2013 · no financials extracted
————13y——
ARUN HOLDINGS LIMITED→
03041317 · est 1995 · no financials extracted
————31y——
ASHURSTWOOD M.O.T. CENTRE LTD→
05881726 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
————19y——
ASTEN LIMITED→
03651958 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
————27y——
ATMS SERVICES LTD→
16239147 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
————1y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2004-07-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC45112 — SIC 45112

Registered office

Chart House
2 Effingham Road
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 7JN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-04-30
Last made up to: 2025-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-07-13
Last: 2026-06-29

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

GROGAN, Dean→
director · ~53y · appointed 2004-07-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LANGDALE, Janine→
secretary · appointed 2004-07-08 · resigned 2013-05-12
Resigned
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-07-08 · resigned 2004-07-08
Resigned
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-07-08 · resigned 2004-07-08
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (60 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-05-29
default-companies-house-service-address-applied-officer
address · RP09
2026-04-14
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2025-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-01
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-04-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-10
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2023-07-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-05
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2023-07-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-04-30